Nature is as incredibly diverse as it is abundant. We cannot always see it even if it is there.
However, we often limit ourselves to a fairly small number of well-known fruits, vegetables and vegetables.
The beginner gardener only grows plants he likes or knows well, such as tomatoes, corn, legumes, squash or medicinal plants. Easy to grow plants.
At some point, your garden and your skills will need to evolve. There is no other way for growth and development.
One way to diversify is to grow perennial plant.
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Reasons to grow perennials in your garden.
Once you’ve decided to scale your garden beyond the basics, the opportunities for reliable growth begin to unfold before you.
By growing perennials, you won’t need to forage so far from your garden to benefit from the nutritional components of perhaps vegetables. new to you.
The benefits of eating perennials:
- Perennials expand your garden culture. Most annuals are grown during the summer and fall. Some perennials will be ready to pick while your annuals are just beginning their growth phase. Still others, with edible roots, can be harvested throughout the year, when you’re ready for them, not when they’re ready for you.
- Low maintenance. Once perennial crops are established, they require little attention from the gardener. They have deeper roots than annuals, so they are more drought tolerant. Moreover, perennials are also resistant to pests and diseases and also resist the invasion pressure of other plants with which they share space.
- Perennials help keep the soil firm. Perennials live in solid areas. Once planted, they remain in the area where they were born. Perennials help keep the soil intact. In addition, thanks to their deeper roots, they absorb and incorporate more minerals into their tissues and organs. They are therefore plants with a higher nutritional content than the better known and consumed varieties of vegetables. They contribute to a healthy soil structure and a habitat full of animals, worms, fungi and bacteria. Over time, plants continue to add more and more organic matter to the soil as they shed their leaves. This contributes to the accumulation of a very good layer of vegetation on the ground. The parts of perennials that you don’t consume will be incorporated into this plant layer and therefore the range of options in terms of nutrient sources is expanded.
- the most beautiful garden. More than just delicious food, perennials can be used as ornamental plants in your garden, as some of them can grow quite tall. They are often used as edging plants and are sometimes used to control soil erosion.
Also, bees may be interested in the nectar of your flowers, even sometimes other types of pollen are not available.
Recommended perennials.
1. Rhubarb – Rheum rhabarbarum.
Although the temptation is hard to resist, you cannot harvest rhubarb in its first year of life. You have to wait a bit. You have to be patient and observe how the plant develops, growing more and more over the seasons.
It is said that a rhubarb plant can live up to 20 years. In the meantime, make the most of its stems, always taking care to stay clear of its poisonous leaves.
Rhubarb perfectly complements strawberries, herbaceous, perennial and creeping plants.
2. Sorrel – Rumex acetosa.
One of the first plants to come out in the spring is sorrel. It has a unique flavor that takes time to get used to. Still, it’s a source of essential nutrients, especially coming out of winter.
This plant produces well until June and then begins to flower. You will want to harvest the leaves while they are young and tender to make sorrel sauce.
Sorrel is not sold commercially, find seeds and plant them yourself.
3. Chive – Allium schoenoprasum
Chives are sold in shops and markets. The question is are they fresh?
Isn’t it better to go to your garden, take a bunch, chop them and put them in your salads and creams in minutes?
Chives are a super hardy plant. They grow vigorously and therefore need to be divided from time to time.
4. Asparagus – Asparagus officinale.
If you have extra space in your garden, asparagus grows both long and wide, giving you a few decades of good asparagus if you take good care of it.
But this plant can be selective about the planting site. They like full sun and well-drained soil. But once planted, they won’t budge from there.
Beginners are not recommended to grow asparagus. Although if you consume it in quantity, it will become a habit.
Asparagus can be grown from seed, although it is much easier to plant its roots directly into the ground.
5. Jerusalem artichoke – Helianthus tuberosus.
If you are looking for a perennial that tolerates dry spells, this is one of your best options.
If you are new to Jerusalem artichokes and therefore eat them: do not eat too many at once, they do not replace potatoes.
6. Artichoke – Cynara scolima.
Artichokes are beautiful from head to toe, and even though they have a long growing season, their flavor is worth the wait.
Artichokes can be grown as annuals or perennials. In the case of the last option, they must be protected during the winter months.
Before growing, research the type of strains that grow best in your area, then wait at least two years before harvesting them.
Surely you have noticed that all perennials have one thing in common: you have to wait a while to get the best harvest results.
Learn how to grow artichokes in your garden.
7. Horseradish – rustic armor.
If you’re looking to warm up your winter meals, a horseradish gratin is what you need. The best way to get this root is to harvest it fresh, depending on how far you can dig the ground.
It belongs to the same family as broccoli and cabbage, crucifers. However, its cultivation is more difficult.
8. Watercress – nasturtium.
If you like leaves that have a bit of a peppery, arugula-like flavor, then you’ll love watercress.
It’s not the easiest plant to care for, as it also attracts pests such as snails, whiteflies, and spiders.
But some of the best things in life take time and effort. With the right conditions, you can have vitamin A and C from watercress all year round. Not only that, but watercress is rich in niacin, thiamin, and iron.
9. Garlic – Allium sativum.
you already know the benefits of growing garlic. You will now find that you can also grow garlic as a perennial.
Leave the bulbs in the ground for a few seasons and let them multiply on their own. You’ll end up with lots of little bulbs that don’t grow into heads but a bunch of garlic sprouts.
Now you can divide those bulbs and plant them as you would cloves of garlic and continue to harvest.
10. Kale – Brassica oleraceae var. Sabellica
Kale is an annual plant with a fairly short harvest period.
Technically, kale is a biennial, but it is grown as an annual. However, it can be permanent.
If you leave it in the garden over winter, covered with mulch, it will regrow in early spring, producing new branches and leaves.
11. Egyptian Onions – allium proliferum.
the Egyptian onions they produce bulbs at the end of each plant, all of which can be planted or eaten.
Well, as soon as the bulbs enter the ripening phase, they get heavier. Therefore, they fall delicately and a new plant grows where they fall.
12. Poor man’s asparagus – Chenopodium bonus-henricus
It adapts well to the conditions of a garden or forest, as it can grow both in open spaces exposed to the sun and in the shade.
Like other plants of the Chenopodiaceae family, all parts of the plant have a high content of oxalic acid, such as spinach and sorrel, so it should not be abused.
13. Lovage – Levisticum officinale.
Lovage is a popular plant that has been cultivated since the Middle Ages. But why only a few people seem to know about it these days?
A few plants in your garden will be enough for your whole family, as they are over a meter high. If you haven’t tried it in your soups and stews, buy some seeds and prepare to plant them in the spring.
If you can’t eat them fresh right away, you can hang them in a bunch to air dry and store them through the winter.
14. Wild Garlic – Ursine allium.
This grass is one of the first to grow in a forest. All parts are edible, including leaves, stems and flowers. They really are very beneficial perennials.
Growing from seed has proven difficult. Although they can grow in the right environment, especially when the bulbs are transplanted and covered with a cover of organic matter.
Enjoy them fresh.
15. Lilies – daylily.
When we think of edible flowers, our mind automatically jumps to nasturtiums. And yet, there are many edible flowers that we didn’t decide to try, calendula, pansies, honeysuckle, cayenne…
It turns out that lilies considered ornamental are also edible. Who would have thought that a dinner made with fleur-de-lis would be so delicious?
16. Ostrich Fern – Matteuccia struthiopteris.
Fern shoots are a seasonal vegetable that you probably didn’t expect to find on this list but on a fancy restaurant menu.
Before you get excited about sprout research, you should first learn about them because they can be tricky to work with.
17. Endives – Cichorium intybus.
Endive is a vegetable typically consumed in Italy. However, the further you go in Europe, the less popular it is.
Not only does it tolerate cold spells, but it also nutritionally enriches your diet since its characteristic bitterness is extremely healthy.
It can be grown in spring or summer/early fall and produces twice a year.
There are over 100 species of perennials to discover, so what are you waiting for?